Tag Archive for: #hendersonnews

Town Talk: Gang Free Events Coming To Downtown Henderson

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Vance County middle schoolers have a unique opportunity this Thursday that involves food, gift cards, COVID-19 vaccinations and pumpkins. Lots of pumpkins.

Henderson-based Gang Free Inc. has partnered with Food Lion, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, among others, to sponsor “Pumpkin, Paint and Pizza at Vance County Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 14 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Gang Free founder Melissa Elliott shared details about the upcoming event on Monday’s Town Talk with John C. Rose.

The term “food insecurity” has become a more commonly used familiar phrase recently, but Elliott said it’s less-often associated with children. With great support from Food Lion, she said the first 100 children to arrive will get $50 Food Lion gift cards.

The evening is “designed to bring middle school students and their parents out to a night of creative fun, while also promoting vaccination equity and education,” Elliott said.

Any person getting a first vaccine also will receive a $100 gift card, she noted. A $10 incentive is available for anyone who gets tested for COVID-19.

This three-pronged approach to a community event – fighting food insecurities, vaccine education and (of course) fun – is one way that Gang Free, Inc. strives to be “an answer to challenges… (W)e continue to use innovative ways to educate and empower to keep our community safe,” Elliott said in a written statement to WIZS.

The Hub Zone Tech Initiative also will be on-site to accept donated laptops that will be refurbished and re-distributed into the community.

Vance County Middle School Principal Stephanie Ayscue reached out to Elliott in search of pumpkins, but, through partnerships, the event has become so much more.

Students will have a chance to eat pizza, decorate a pumpkin and take home a gift card for future use.

Elliott said she and Principal Ayscue hope the event will increase community and parent support. “We’re here to support them,” Elliott said, adding that she wants everyone to know that no one in this community has to be hungry and no one has to go unvaccinated.

The idea of vaccination inequity often revolves around misinformation, she said. A key to combat that misinformation lies “in getting the right message into the community.”

Barriers to vaccination, in addition to misinformation, include access to transportation to get to a shot location or access to the internet to make an appointment.

A community outreach team spends a lot of time fanning out to areas known for low vaccination rates to help get the right message into the community regarding vaccinations, Elliott said.

The teams have been to the Williamsboro community, as well as Sandy Creek, and will be hitting South Henderson as well. “If we’re not out knocking on doors, we’re making phone calls,” she said.

 Whether it’s by canvassing pockets of unvaccinated areas in the county, doling out gift cards or providing pumpkins for children to paint and decorate, Gang Free, Inc. has a laser-sharp focus on making people’s lives better.

“We want to continue to be a blessing in the community,” she added.

Gang Free Inc. is sponsoring another event on Friday, Oct. 15 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in downtown Henderson, Elliott said.

The Hispanic Heritage celebration will fill up the entire block surrounding 200 Breckenridge St. with the sights, sounds and aromas from a wide range of Spanish-speaking cultures.

Dr. Alice Sallins joined Elliott on Town Talk to speak about the upcoming event.

“We have a strong Hispanic population in Vance County,” Sallins said. “We need to be supportive and to learn about their culture,” she added. With learning comes understanding, including what needs are unmet, she said.

Sallins, chairperson of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission’s Promotions Committee, said having this event in downtown Henderson shows the community’s involvement in downtown.

It’s not just for the Latinex community, Elliott said. “We don’t want just the Hispanic people to come,” she noted. “We want everybody to come out and participate,” she said.

Visit gangfreeinc.org to learn more.

Downtown Henderson

The Local Skinny! Events In Downtown Henderson

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Various organizers have a lot planned for everyone in the area.

Friday, October 15 – From 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., it’s the Hispanic Heritage Festival at 200 Breckenridge Street. Dr. Alice Sallins, chairperson of the Henderson-Vance Downtown Development Commission’s Promotions Committee, said, “It will be such a great honor to have the culmination activity downtown. We are trying to bring more business but at the same time community involvement downtown.” She said she thought this was one of the key pieces that had been missing. Henderson City Councilwoman Melissa Elliott, and Founder of Gang Free where the first part of the Hispanic Heritage Festival was held, said, “We don’t want just Hispanic people to come, even though it’s their heritage, we want to celebrate them, but like Dr. Sallins said, we want other people to learn about their culture and their heritage and the love.” She said the love of the Latinx community was overwhelming and others have a lot to learn. Some 500 members of the Latinx community appeared at the earlier event at Gang Free.

Friday, October 15 – It’s the Show Shine Shag and Dine evening cruise-in. Head to downtown Henderson from 6 to 9 p.m. hosted by Southern Classic Cars on Horner Street. Be sure to check out the classic cars on display in the showroom. Enjoy the DJ on site and seeing the cars and memorabilia. Open to the public. Free. No charge.

Saturday, October 16 – The Show, Shine, Shag & Dine car show featuring hundreds of 1988 and older antique and classic cars, muscle cars, trucks and more on display along Garnett Street in historic downtown Henderson. Other displays include the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Reunion and the Corbitt Truck Show. You can also visit the Corbitt Truck Museum on Church Street. Enjoy food, vendors, and live entertainment throughout the day, including performances by Brake Tyme Band. FREE admission, open to the public.

Saturday, October 23 – The Vance County Relay for Life is sponsoring a Luminaria ceremony that is shaping up to illuminate a portion of Garnett Street with little bags of light to remember or honor lives affected by cancer. Organizers Christy Bennett, Carolyn Williams and Jeanette Brummitt are keeping it real simple. People can drive down Garnett Street to enjoy the luminaries or they can walk along the sidewalks, if they have their masks on. Bags are $10 each and can be purchased on the day of the event, but they also are available ahead of time so they can be decorated with names of loved ones before being returned and placed along with all the others. Over 700 sold so far. Luminaries sometimes need a little weight to stay in place, but Bennett and her crew have thought of that, too. They will use canned foods to anchor the paper bags, which will be donated to ACTS afterward.

Friday, October 29 – The long-observed downtown trick or treat event is planned, and Henderson Vance Downtown Development Director Tracy Madigan said, “Right now we are still on go for Friday, October 29th on Garnett Street from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. The plan at the present time is for children to go door to door dressed in their costumes.

Saturday, December 4 – The downtown Henderson Christmas parade is tentatively set, according to Sallins, for December 4. She said, “The paperwork is in, but we have to wait for final approval before I put any (registration) forms out.”

The Local Skinny! Domestic Violence Awareness Event Scheduled For Oct. 23

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Sheriff Curtis Brame R. Brame and the Vance County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with Clearview Church in Henderson to provide a program designed to remember victims of domestic violence as well as to raise awareness within the community about a problem that is all-too-prevalent.

The public is invited to the third annual “Think Community” event, set for Saturday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m., according to Debbie Scott, domestic violence coordinator and gang resource specialist with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office.

This event is all about collaboration, she told Bill Harris on Thursday’s The Local Skinny! segment.

Raleigh’s new police chief, Estella Patterson, is scheduled to be the keynote speaker, Scott said, and the event will pay special tribute to a young woman – a survivor of domestic violence – who also happens to be a poet. Special musical guests will be Roy Burroughs & Work in Progress.

Domestic violence affects the whole community, she said, adding that this event can help community members learn how to spot signs of domestic violence and better deal with the associated challenges.

It’s so important to break the silence of domestic violence, she said, to alleviate the stigma and the shame that victims may feel.

“It’s about everybody,” Scott noted. “This challenge is not just a survivor’s issue – it’s a community issue.

It’s community sponsors like Betty B’s, the Optimist Club, Salvation Army and Vance-Granville Community College and others who help make this annual event a success. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Scott thanked the sponsors and Dr. Abidan Shah, pastor of Clearview Church, for their ongoing support.

Clearview Church is located at 3485 Hwy 158 Business, Henderson, NC 27537.

For more information contact  Scott at 252.738.2235 or by email at dscott@vancecounty.org.

U.S. Department of Justice

Henderson Man Sentenced to Prison for 21 Years Following Shooting of a Raleigh Police Officer

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From the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina:

A Henderson man was sentenced yesterday to 252 months in prison for carjacking and aiding and abetting, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of stolen firearms.  On March 10, 2020, Cedric Jamal Kearney, 26, pled guilty to the charges.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, on January 4, 2019, Kearney and a co-defendant, Sherry Marie Richmond, robbed a Raleigh man of his car keys and cellphone at gunpoint. The crime spree continued on January 9, 2019 as Kearney and other co-defendants broke into a Holly Springs, NC apartment and stole several firearms and pairs of shoes. Finally, later that night on January 9, 2019, the Raleigh Police Department responded to a reported sighting of the stolen vehicle in the area of Shaub Drive and Teakwood Place.  Upon arrival, the officers witnessed Kearney and another man attempting to get inside of the stolen vehicle. Officers gave out commands to the men and while one complied, Kearney fired shots at the officers and fled on foot. Kearney shot Raleigh Police Officer Charlie Ainsworth two times. Ainsworth had to be rushed to WakeMed hospital with life threatening injuries, but ultimately survived. Body Camera surveillance captured the harrowing incident in its entirety.  Kearney was found several hours later in a shed of a nearby homeowner; still in possession of the gun used to shoot Officer Ainsworth. Kearney had one prior conviction for reckless driving out of Virginia.

“Today was a good day for both the Ainsworth family and the justice system. The Court sent a very clear message that these type of assaults on law enforcement simply will not be tolerated,” Acting U.S. Attorney Acker said of Judge Flanagan’s sentencing.Norman Acker, III, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Raleigh Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Boykin and Daniel Smith prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

Kerr Tar Regional Council of Governments

TownTalk: Upcoming Job Fairs In Warrenton And Roxboro Are Open To All

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The Kerr-Tar Council of Governments is hosting a job fair next week at the Warren County Recreational Complex. Desiree Brooks, business services manager for the workforce development board, said more than 20 employers will be on hand at the event, set for Thursday, Oct. 14 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“One thing we have been taking advantage of is the nice weather,” Brooks told Town Talk host Bill Harris Thursday. She said taking the job fairs into the counties of the region is one way to match prospective employers with employees. Previous job fairs in Vance and Granville counties proved successful, and Brooks said she hopes the Warren event will be, also.

The recreational complex hosts a weekly adult kickball game, and Brooks said she listened to local officials to take the job fair to a spot that gets a lot of foot traffic.

In addition to watching the 6 p.m. kickball game, there will be food vendors on site and the Turning Point CDC Mobile Learning Lab for those who may need computer access.

“We wanted to not just pick a central location,” Brooks said, “but have a job fair in each county.” Of course, the job fairs are promoted across the region, but placing them across the five counties gives everyone a chance to participate.

A job fair is scheduled for Person County in late October, she added.

Employers are motivated, she said, and there are many opportunities for job seekers. “Everybody needs employees,” Brooks noted. “(Employers) want to meet everybody who’s looking for work.”

There are many opportunities in the Kerr-Tar region, especially in the fields of manufacturing and health care, she said.

Prospective employees should know that training through Kerr-Tar’s NC Works can help them gain job skills, too. “It’s not a deal breaker,” Brooks said, for a prospective worker to have most, but not all, of the skills needed for a specific job. “Employers are in such a need…for employees who are trainable and willing to work. We can assist with getting those employees where they need to be,” she said.

In this job market, an employee taking an entry-level job can quickly move up. Pay is higher overall, and competitive wages and sign-on bonuses are just a couple of things to consider when searching for a job.

KARTS is available for those who need transportation. Contact the NC Works office at 919.693.2686 to learn more about how to make an appointment.

Visit NCworks.gov to learn more.

 

 

McGregor Hall

McGregor Hall Announces 2021-22 Lineup

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The McGregor Hall Performing Arts Center announces its 2021-22 lineup and there seems to be something for everyone, from a holiday ballet to the Big Band sound, with a little Parrothead music thrown into the mix.

Tickets are now on sale for the McGregor Live! Series package and the five individual shows.

The ticket booklet is available for $130 plus tax.

First up is a ballet performance of A Christmas Carol, on Dec. 5 at 4 p.m.

Then, on Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m., Christmas With The Celts will take the stage..

North Carolina playwright Garrett Davis’s work “Living With Ruthie Mae” will kick off the 2022 offerings on Jan. 16 at 2 p.m.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville show will be held Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and the season finale is

The Duke Ellington Orchestra on April 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Call the McGregor Hall ticket office Monday-Friday between 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. at

252.598.0662 to purchase tickets or visit www.mcgregorhall.org.

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Pender Preparing Vipers For Rain And Vikings

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While the Vikings of South Granville High School may not come from the land of ice and snow, as the song says, weather may very well be a factor in tomorrow night’s homecoming game at Vance County High School.

South Granville brings a 1-5 record to Henderson to face the 4-1 Vipers but Vipers Coach Wilber Pender explained that the South Granville record is somewhat deceiving. Pender said the Vikings losses have been to some very strong competition such as Orange, Hillside, Heritage, Southern Nash and Lee County. “South Granville has challenged themselves,” Coach Pender said on Thursday. “They are battle tested,” he added.  South Granville will likely keep the ball on the ground which, considering the 70% chance of rain Friday night, might be smart. “They are not going to stop until you decide to stop it,” Pender said of the South Granville offense.  However, the Vipers have a ground attack of their own with Dave Vines-Holder, who racked up nearly 200 yard last week against Carrboro and Carl Stephens who added nearly one hundred yards in the 36-12 win over the Jaguars last Friday night.

Coach Pender felt that while the team played well against the Jaguars he is still not satisfied. “We are making progress and improving each week. We are putting in the work and it’s starting to show on the field,” the coach said.

Those are things Pender can control but the weather is not. He says that rain is just another element to the game. He has had the Vipers practicing with a wet ball in anticipation of a wet field and while the weather may have an impact, Pender says that the game “comes down to focus”.  For Vance County the rain will pose more challenges for the passing game than the ground game and the staff feels that receivers must focus on catching the ball. Those pass routes may be a bit shorter too.

As Pender prepares for the Vikings and the elements he says he has concerns about about inconsistencies with the Vipers. On some series, he says, the team looks great while others are not. As the team plays their second conference game Friday night Coach Pender says the team in the conference that gives him the most nightmares is Vance County because of those inconsistencies.

Tomorrow night will be the Vipers first home in several weeks and with homecoming taking place Pender expects to have a great home turnout, rain or not.

The Vipers kick off against the South Granville Vikings at 7:00 tomorrow night.  WIZS will have live coverage with Trey Snide and Doc Ayscue beginning immediately following the Joy Christian Center Broadcast around 6:45.

 

Cooperative Extension with Jamon Glover: Disobedience, Pt. 1

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Listen live at 100.1 FM / 1450 AM / or on the live stream at WIZS.com at 11:50 a.m. Mon, Tues & Thurs.